GR-Ch. 6

Ghost Revenant: Walking on the Abyss

Chapter Six: A Regular Date at Last
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(previously in Chapter Five)

"Whoa, cowboy, slow down.  Take a breath."
"Yeah, you're right.  Man, what a night...." (As Josh sheathes Abyss Horizon onto a newly-revealed port on his shield, both weapons glow, and then vanish into the trenchcoat on his back) "Looks like that part of the battle is over, but there's still a war to fight..." (Hailey shushes him quickly with one finger to his mouth)
"Later, Josh.  Right now,......" (Hailey embraces Josh, and he does the same to her)
"Yeah, Hailey?"
"Thank you.  Thank you for saving me from that spiteful echo."
"Least I could do.  Hopefully, you and I can find a way to finally take out the real bastard once and for all." (Hailey leans in closer, and Josh can smell the strawberries on her breath, and in her hair)
"Later....."
"Whatever you say, spitfire."

     Finally, after all the traveling and fighting they had done to get over this huge obstacle in their ongoing lives, Joshua and Hailey pulled each other close and kissed again, but this time, they both thoroughly enjoyed it.  That's when a pair of glimmering earrings appeared and replaced the ones that Hailey had been wearing, letting her know that for now, they would serve as her psychic defenses while she trained and built her own inner mind's protection.  Smiling as she continued kissing Josh, Hailey again thought, 'Thank you' to him, and
he reciprocated by picking her up into his arms and heading off to the log cabin so that they could get some sleep.  Hailey's spellbook, still on the ground where the protection circle had kept her safe, glowed once, and then, floated off the grass and after them both, letting the elements around them know that this chapter was finished, but the novel was very far from over.

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     Six short hours had passed by since Joshua Webber-Tokugawa and Hailey Storm had used powerful magic circles to draw out the demented psychic echo running around in her head, allowing Josh to destroy it with his newly-revealed 'Techno-Demon' battle form, and then, with Hailey's help, finding another of the mysterious orange energy orbs in the same area.  The orb merged with Josh, allowing him to revert back to his augmented human form, and revealing another secret to him: a glyph of a sword on the ground.  Unconsciously reciting an oath before the glyph, Josh broke through it, revealing the most trusted weapon that had belonged to Alastain-Soman in his lifetime: his demonic blade, Abyss Horizon.  Now, after a short rest in the cabin, Josh had woken up first between the two of them, and instinctively went to rub his face and head, only to discover that, amazingly, he was no longer bald as he had been since the compromised mission.  His hair had grown back, and the Recon specialist quickly ran over to his military pack, pulling out a small mirror to look at himself.  'Son of a gun; welcome back there, Webber.  Now, you look like yourself again.'  Smiling as his thoughts ran through his head, Josh quickly went to heat up some coffee, hoping that the smell would wake up Hailey.  Twenty minutes later, Hailey came out of the bedroom, still wrapped up in the heavy comforters, and saw Josh setting down a small pair of plates with hash browns, scrambled eggs, and ham slices, along with fresh coffee.  Powdered creamer, a few packets of sweetener, and a small package of fresh strawberries were already lying on the small table.  Hailey yawned, covering her mouth, and then, she smiled at the spread that Josh had set up.


"Efficient, and ready at a moment's notice."
"That's being a soldier, Hailey.  You warm enough?"
"Eh, a little chilly right now, but the comforters are doing all right...." (Hailey trails off as she notices that Josh has his hair back on his head)
"What?"
"Don't give me that, you sneak.  Your hair grew back!  You do still remember that you were bald last night, right?"
"Oh!  That. (pause) Not a bad look for a soldier, eh?"
"Hmmm, you'll pass inspection, I guess."
"Ouch, tough crowd.  You want a fire going?"
"Nah, Josh.  We need to eat, and then, get back to town.  We both have a lot to do, right?"
"Yeah, you with the college and brushing up on your advanced magic skills, and me, with finding out who wants me dead and buried, as well as consolidating my resources.  That series of storage units I took out and hid my procured stuff at back in town is not going to hold out forever.  It might be time for me to see how much of that stuff I can put in that vault that became accessible to me with that first orange energy orb I found back at the college, the same day I got to meet you in person, my dear." (Josh winks at Hailey as he sips his coffee, while Hailey happily pops a freshly sliced strawberry onto her breakfast)
"Aren't you the lucky one?"
"I think so."
"Keep bringing me strawberries, Josh, and we'll see if your luck holds out as long as your manners."
"Best news I've heard all day." (Josh digs into his meal as well, still smilng at Hailey as they eat)

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     A few days after Josh and Hailey had gotten back from their very interesting side-trip, the Recon specialist had indeed been able to use his special vault to consolidate much of the supplies, munitions, and other paraphanaelia, leaving only one well-disguised storage unit with a few non-essential and nondescript items there, but also allowing him to throw off any suspicious characters who would be snooping around and trying to find any trace of the AWOL soldier.  Still following leads and tracking down anyone who knew anything about what had happened to him and his friends, Josh found himself in the back of the SUV that he had taken from the terrorists, but it was empty now, save for him, a single laptop computer, and a few boxes of ammo for his NOMAD pistol strapped to his leg.  His fingers dancing across the keyboard as his internal cyber-node linked him to the Internet, Josh researched the original Ghost Revenant project using backdoor methods, as well as looking into the hidden agenda behind it.  The line was that it was to be used to bring wounded combat veterans with disabled limbs back up to speed and able to once more join the fray, but at last check, there were no more models like Josh's prototype bio-weave, and certainly none that contained the demonic essence that had once been the body of the Demon Paladin.  He did smile, though, when he saw that the very same Brigadier General he had threatened some time ago had come forward and struck a deal with the Attorney General to give all the details that he had on what some members of the military had been planning to use the innovative project for.

     Presently, the laptop PING'd at him, and Josh tapped on a waiting tab to see what he knew had been coming: a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) had been sent through Angel Falls for the SUV.  'Damn, they probably got the VIN number from the rental agency.  Glad it took them a while to do it, but I guess it's time to get a new set of wheels.  Wonder what I should get to replace it, seeing as this beast was helpful with that trip, but now, it's just a target.'  Shaking his head in a short bit of resignment, Josh quickly took himself off the Web, encrypted his laptop, and shut it down before he slid it into his backpack, which vanished into his trenchcoat, while he packed the few boxes of ammo into his military bag before getting into the front seat of the SUV one last time.  He had disconnected the GPS system from the engine a long time ago, but Josh wanted to be sure that no one knew where he had taken the vehicle.  Using his internal cyber-systems once more, Josh forcibly wiped the records of the unit, leaving it holding only where it had been when the terrorists had held it.  Then, as he got out and locked the doors, Josh looked around before he slipped the keys into it through the sunroof, along with a wisp of the cold blue flame, which instantly sanitized the entirety of the vehicle, leaving no trace of either his or Hailey's presence - physical, mental, or magical - inside or outside of the vehicle.  The wisp returned to him as soon as its task was done, and Josh quietly walked away from the vehicle, heading for the nearest bus stop.

     Josh silently rode the bus routes of Angel Falls for about three hours, nonchalantly checking with his invisible demonic shield to see if anything was going on with Hailey, but to his relief, she was fine and in no danger.  Glad of that, Josh mentally checked where he was, and was happy to see that he was approaching the stop he had wanted to get to: the nearest one to the Angel Falls landfill.  As he had been looking over the details on his laptop, the shield had been humming to him, letting him know that it was looking for the next orange orb, even as he was tracking his steps backward to where he had sent the hidden back-ups of the mission parameters and video footage to ensure that if anything had happened to him then, what had happened overseas would have gone public days later.  As it turned out, both items were at the same place.  Josh got off the bus a few minutes later, and as soon as he was sure that no cars or other buses were in his line of sight, the augmented Recon specialist leaped away from the bus stop, and after a few more huge leaps, arrived a block away from the landfill, his eyes aglow behind his shades as he surveyed the location.  Josh had very little trouble getting inside, and within a few minutes, had located the shack where his late buddies had taken his back-ups to, as well as making sure that the next energy orb was not far away.

     After getting the back-ups from their hiding place, Josh made sure to load all of their data onto his laptop and its external drive, and then, sent them all to his vault as carefully as he could, making sure that they did not suffer any damage along the way.  Then, Josh could hear the shield humming at him again, and he nodded, ready to look for the orb.  After about ten minutes of searching, Josh's nose detected the scent of the orb's energy, but just as he did, he heard some loud voices coming from the same direction.  'Company; just what I needed now.' Josh grumbled to himself as he silently unholstered his NOMAD, checked the mag and the slide. and then quietly approached the direction of the voices.  His augmented eyes soon found a number of rough looking toughs, all of them ringing around three scantily-clad women, who were looked to be scared out of their minds.  Right as he was about to move into a better position, Josh watched as two of the men shape-shifted into snake-like monsters, and when that happened, the Sappherian Shield of Blades leapt into being from its hiding place on Josh's back, and onto his arm!  Seeing that happen, Josh realized that his NOMAD was not going to help much here, so he quickly holstered it before extending his katar blades from his right arm, and then, he leapt off into the fray.  His powerful landing sent the lizard-men flying backwards, and before the untransformed pair of men could do anything, Josh whirled around and used his extended katar blades to quickly decapitate them both.  As their bodies began to decay and die from the power used to destroy them, Josh faced the remaining two lizard-men, who had both drawn out wicked scimitars and shields of their own.


"Why are you interferring, human!?" (Josh retorts)
"Why are you trying to eat those girls!?  Not the most appetizing meal for you guys, I'd imagine!"
"We were going to ssssssuck on their ssssssouls!"
"SSSSSSSilence, brother!  Let'ssss not wasssste time!  KILL HIM!"
"Bring it, you pair of handbags!"

     Josh charged right at the two lizard-men, his shield intercepting the first blow from the lizard-men on the left, while he entangled the second lizard-man's blade with his katar blades long enough for him to literally kick the lizard-man's head off.  The tail of the remaining and enraged lizard-man wrapped around Josh's leg and whipped him off his feet, but the Recon specialist used his shield to absorb the impact with the ground, and then blocked the lizard-man's sword with his katar blades, right before firing off a powerful energy blast from those same blades that fried the lizard-man's head into nothingness!  As the dead monster fell away, Josh quickly got to his feet, and then, as he looked over at the frightened women, he saw a portal beginning to form not too far away, and his shield warned him that more of the lizard-men were going to come through unless he stopped them.  At that instant, the hilt of Abyss Horizon, still sheathed on his shield, buzzed at Josh, letting him know that it was time to use its power.  Quickly, Josh ran over, picked up the three women with his impressive strength, and got them clear of the area where the portal was beginning to form, and then stood his ground as he reached over and pulled Abyss Horizon free of its holding point on his shield.  'You've got point, pal.' Josh mused to himself, and right at that moment, the cold blue flames manifested their power from within Josh again.

     The humming demonic blade in his hand absorbed and channelled the intense power Josh was generating to a fever pitch, and then, his eyes aglow behind his shades, that same power guided Josh in what he had to do.  Wrapping both hands on the handle, Josh lifted up Abyss Horizon above his head, and then, swung the blade downward as he shouted out loud!


" BANSHEE TORNADO !!! "

     From the edge of Abyss Horizon, as it swung downward, a huge arcing blast of humming demonic power, combined with the deadly cold blue flames of Josh's energized form, screeched out from his position, and completely disrupted the portal, sending its entire construct and any remaining lizard-men within it into oblivion!  When the blade had finally calmed down, Josh looked around to make sure that the portal was gone, and that no more lizard-men were around, before he ran over and checked on the three women once more.  Sheathing his sword back onto his shield, Josh quickly freed them all, his shield telling him that none of them were harmed, or were monsters in disguise, as he took them toward the landfill's entrance.  As they were pulling back on their clothes, though, Josh's eyes found the position of the orange orb he had come to find, and he quickly retrieved it and put it into his trenchcoat before ushering the women to safety.  Once they were all safe and sound, Josh wished them all well before he called the police, and then, with a salute, Josh leaped away into the night.

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     It was the weekend, and Hailey finally got out of her last class for the day.  "Finally!"  She exclaimed as she left the building and headed for the nearest café to grab a large coffee, only to feel her magical senses buzzing.  Following the familiar aura of demonic energy, Hailey looked over to the far end of the campus foyer, and saw Joshua standing there against the railing, dressed with his now very familiar trenchcoat and dark shades, but this time, he simply tapped the middle bridge of his glasses, and then, Hailey watched in awe as the shades disconnected, curling away like dominoes and forming two resting points on his ears.  Those intense eyes of his, coupled with his almost devil-may-care smile, made Joshua seem like one of the baddest mamma-jammas around, but Hailey knew that his soul was good, and that he wished for things to be normal again, even though he knew that they would never be that way for him again.  Giving her own trademark grin, Hailey headed over to where Josh was standing, obviously waiting for her.


"Well, well, back so soon?"
"I just didn't get enough of you last time, Hailey.  Is that a bad thing for me?"
"Nah, I think I'll keep you around."
"Good to know.  You busy?" (Hailey looks at her watch)
"I don't work at the club tonight until 11:00, so I've got a few hours to kill.  Why?" (Josh taps behind his ears, and his shades reform over his face)
"Miss Hailey, may I take you to a nice relaxing dinner before your shift tonight?" (Hailey looks Josh up and down)
"You buying?"
"Is there a reason that I wouldn't be?"
"I pick the place, and you've got a deal."
"Works for me."
"Okay, then, a date it is." (Josh arches an eyebrow)
"Really?"
"Don't push your luck, Josh."
"Hey, you said it."
"Mush, soldier-boy."
"Hey, I left the boy part of my life way before boot camp was done for me, thank you very much, spitfire.  So, where we going?"
"A dinner theatre I know."
"I'll drive, you navigate."
"Okay, where's the SUV?"
"Had to turn it in.  Cops were closing in on it."
"Nuts, lots of room in that bad boy.  What'cha got in place of it, Josh?" (Josh points toward the parking lot)
"The midnight blue one, with the silver dragon on the hood."

     Hailey took a good look out into the parking lot, and she soon saw the vehicle that Josh was talking about: a brand spanking new 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche, with running boards and top lights.  She slowly whistled as they walked over to it, letting Josh open her door after he disarmed the alarm, and then enjoying the comfortable leather seats under her rear as Josh got in as well.  Looking at the middle console as Josh started up the truck, Hailey noticed a smooth and elongated  
crimson marking on it, right before her magical senses went off again and told her that it was another type of protection magic, one meant to be used for transporation or for secure locations.  She slugged Josh in the arm to get his attention before they pulled out of the lot.


"You found more toys, and you didn't tell me?"
"Just recently.  Found another orb out at the landfill, not to mention rescuing some people from becoming lizard chow."
"Lizard chow?"
"Humanoid lizards, from some portal to I don't know where.  Axed them, and then, got the people who would've been their would-be dinner to safety, right before my new pal Abyss Horizon showed me how to destroy incoming portals.  Not to mention...." (Hailey looks at Josh as he points at an attaché case behind him)
"What's that?"
"My back-ups of what went down on that compromised military assignment of mine not too long ago.  It's my proof of a lot of leaks and unsavory characters working in my branch of the military.  It's gonna' help me clear my name, and then, I can focus on what this new existence of mine wants me to accomplish."
"Good for you."
"I also got a little gift for you, seeing as I need your help to find out what it's all about later on."
"Oh, and what's that?" (From the inner pocket of his trenchcoat, Josh produces an ornately-wrapped book that should not even fit there)
"His journals, Hailey.  The demonic journals of how Alastain-Soman lived his life, before and after his desertion." (As Hailey's eyes grow large, Josh returns the book to his coat)
"Hey!"
"That's for later, my dear Hailey.  Right now..." (Josh checks his mirrors before he pulls up to the parking lot exit) "I owe a lady a spot of dinner.  Still interested?"

     Shaking her head in resignment, Hailey told Josh where to drive to, and he saluted her as he turned his truck onto the road.

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     As the movie was coming to an end, Josh and Hailey finished up what they wanted of their meals, calling for doggie bags to take the rest of their food to their respective homes.  It had been a rather nice evening for the pair, both of them commenting on a few details of their past - Hailey on growing up and learning of her grandfather's heritage, and Josh quietly remarking on his two lost friends that had been the ones who inadverdently sent him on the road to becoming the first and only Ghost Revenant recipient, - but Hailey had to get to work, and Josh needed to be sure that he remained under the radar as much as possible before getting his named cleared.  Driving back to the campus, Josh let Hailey go up and get changed, and then dropped her off about two blocks from the club.  As they both got out of the truck, Josh came around to make sure she had everything.


"So, you all good, then, Hailey?"
"Yeah, I'll change my shoes when I get inside the club, and there's enough lighting to keep the baddies away on my walk in."
"All right, then, guess I should pack it in for tonight.  Hmmm, that's strange...."
"What?"
"There's something in your hair."
"Where?" (Before Hailey could check her hair, Josh was already close to her, and as he ran his hands through her hair, she feels a tingle of magical energies flow around her)
"There, got it."
"Okay, newbie, what did you just do?"
"This."

     With that, Josh lifted up his hand, and in it, he was holding what looked like a lily flower, but its color was a deep blue, and as he handed it to her, he also made sure of the one that he had put in her hair.  Hailey looked down at the flower, admiring its loveliness as Josh began to speak.


"In a section of the vault that Alastain-Soman built, there is a small garden alcove, enchanted with nature magics, that allow these flowers to grow and flourish.  I don't know what kind of flowers they are, if they're even from Earth, or from where he lived, but I thought you might like one or two of them.  A sign near them said that, even if they're picked up and replanted elsewhere, once they bloom, they never wilt or die." (Hailey holds the blue lily in her hands as she breathes in its aroma)
"It's beautiful...."
"It also said that three times a day, if you smell this, and then think of your most cherished memories, you'll experience it as if you were there all over again."
"And, you picked a pair of them, for me?"
"Ah, I thought they would look cool in your hair. (pause) I think, that I'll call them.... blue velvet lillies.  Catchy, huh?" (Hailey looks up at Josh, and then hugs him tightly)
"Just when I think I have you totally figured out, Joshua Webber, you show me something new, and very heartfelt to boot.  Goes to show you that Alastain-Soman chose well when he picked you."
"I'm hoping to do him proud."
"You will."
"Thanks, Hailey.  Well, you need to get going, and I need to head off and make myself scarce before anyone asks who I am.  But, before I do, can I ask you one last thing?" (Hailey smiles)
"Do you want to kiss me good night?" (Josh taps his shades, and his glasses retract again, letting Hailey see his green eyes with the thin black rimmed edges)
"Yeah, I really do." (Hailey grins as magical energy dances in her eyes, in tandem with the cold blue flame in Josh's orbs)
"What'cha waitin' for?"

     Smiling, Josh leaned into Hailey, and they kissed deeply.  They held it for just half a minute before Hailey touched his face to let him know that she needed to get going, but she thanked him for his gift of the blue velvet lillies to her before she walked away.  "Good night, Joshua Webber.  Be seein' ya before ya know it."  "I'm counting on it, Hailey Storm.  I'm counting on it."  Josh waved at Hailey as she headed off, watching her all the way as she walked over to the club, and only when she was inside the building did he tap on his shades, returning them to their true form, and got into his new truck.  As he turned the key and warmed up the engine, Josh could only smile to himself: he had his back-ups, he had a decent handle on some of the powers that he now had, and best of all, he now had a lady mage connected to him that was going to help him master his abilities.  As he drove off into the city, Josh calmly remembered the inscription inside the journal that he had seen upon its discovery.


- How fate works is a mystery.  Me, a demon knight, told by a single priestess that I am truly descended from corrupted angels, and finding out that by the numerous tasks I have undergone to prove that fact a reality, I will one day pass on my powers to a mortal worthy of those once angelic powers, and that he will be aided by a descendant of that very priestess.  Incredible; and so, these are my stories.  Read on, Ghost Revenant, and learn from them all.

Alastain-Soman, Demon Paladin of the Soul Flame -



End of Chapter Six
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